The banquet was held in a gray-white palace.
Although it was called a palace, it was actually a small villa still under construction, and the tools for the ongoing work, such as shovels, iron spades, and wheelbarrows, had not yet been moved away.
However, for Claire, it was still quite shocking, after all, she had prepared for a bonfire party in the wild when she arrived.
When Lena was in the Graywhite Territory, Claire personally saw her off, and there were only about two hundred craftsmen and knights, yet in just a few months, it had developed into the scale of a viscount’s territory.
At this simple banquet, Claire constantly teased Lena, wanting to ask how Lena had managed to develop the territory into what it was now.
Lena was very cooperative, saying whatever came to her mind, just as she had in the royal capital, but every time Lena was about to disclose key information, her fiancé would skillfully block all her questions.
Although Claire didn’t extract any useful information, even a fool could see that the development of the territory was all managed by Lena’s new fiancé, Lind.
Moreover, this fiancé seemed to be very cautious around her; although it couldn’t be said that he was hostile, he was definitely on guard, which made Claire very unhappy.
After she had worked so hard to dissolve the engagement between Lena and her brother, it annoyed Claire even more that Lena had now been arranged with a new fiancé, and this fiancé not only appeared to have a good relationship with Lena but was also an intelligent man who was not easily fooled.
However, Lena was, after all, the granddaughter of a duke, so it wouldn’t be easy to get to her; from the very beginning of the plan, Claire had already made that resolution.
When Claire had first seen Lena in the royal capital, Lena’s firm skin, clear gaze, and perfect figure, combined with the inherent charisma of the Lars family, had deeply attracted Claire. Just the thought that such a noble female knight could come to her and beg for mercy made Claire tighten her legs.
When Lena asked about the current situation in the royal capital, Claire took the opportunity to respond, “The royal capital isn’t too peaceful right now, but it seems my brother and the father king miss Lady Lars a bit. Why don’t you come with me to the royal capital this time, and I’ll speak well of you before the father king? Even if we can’t restore your previous identity, we can at least have you stay in the royal capital.”
This statement completely ignored Lind, who was still Lena’s fiancé, making him frown.
Not to mention that Claire was being arrogant and completely disregarding her current position, if Lena left, the Lars family’s support for the Graywhite Territory could be severed directly, which Lind absolutely could not accept.
Moreover, trusting that the fourth prince and Augustus III would change their minds was less believable than believing that Lena was truly Qin Shi Huang; once they reached the royal capital, wouldn’t Lena just let Claire manipulate her again?
However, Lena was quite moved; after all, in the royal capital, Claire had repeatedly brainwashed her, saying it was due to circumstances that the new saintess had deceived Klan and the old king. As long as Lena returned to the royal capital, it would be like those stage plays where everything could return to its place in an instant.
But after a moment of being moved, Lena looked at Lind beside her with a sad expression, glancing at her good friend who frowned slightly, clearly displeased, and ultimately made a decision.
“Your Highness, I appreciate your good intentions, but I still hope to rely on my own strength to return to the royal capital.”
The so-called relying on her own strength meant that Lena wanted to return to the royal capital by becoming the rightful heir of the Lars family.
“But, Lady Lars, don’t you want to know who was behind your betrayal back then?”
Claire said the most shocking words to Lena in the calmest tone.
“Your Highness, has the matter of that night been investigated? Is there finally evidence to prove that someone wanted to frame me?”
Lena stood up in excitement, causing even Lind beside her to be a bit surprised.
After all, from the perspective of the female protagonist in the game, who was Isha (from another world line), it was indeed true that Lena’s emotions had exploded after being reprimanded by the fourth prince, losing her rationality, and attacking the female protagonist and the royal family. However, it appeared that there was something more to it.
To be honest, this hidden truth wasn’t very difficult to guess; a part of the game was from a god’s-eye view, and based on Claire’s obsession with Lena, it seemed that this person was not only behind Lena’s downfall but was also likely the main culprit in that attack incident.
After all, there was a developed security system around the crown prince, and Lena had not only bypassed all the bodyguards while wearing armor and wielding weapons, but even when the female and male protagonists jointly defeated Lena, the bodyguards only hurried over then.
If this were a game, it could be explained as serving the gameplay; but being in the real world made Lind involuntarily lean toward conspiracy theories.
With a playful glint in his eye, Lind shot a glance at Claire. As the most cherished little princess of the royal family, it wasn’t impossible for her to figure out the security around her brother, even to deliberately redirect attention or bribe them, and given the royal family’s increasingly wary attitude towards the Northern Border, it was also possible that there was someone with greater power supporting her.
This exchange of glances suddenly turned into polite smiles, and both sides nodded before retracting their scrutinous gazes.
If Claire had any specialties, it was being very discerning of people; it was precisely because of this that Claire could quickly bond with Lilith, as she recognized that Lilith was of a similar kind.
This was also why Claire fell in love with Lena, who was completely different from those affected nobles at first sight, although this love was somewhat twisted.
However, Claire currently found it difficult to read Lind, because Lind’s earlier gaze exuded such confidence that it didn’t even seem doubtful; he seemed convinced that Claire was the one lying.
Not only that, but Claire’s intuition told her that this lord believed that the attack incident was actually planned by her, the princess.
Unable to see through it, but finding it very interesting, that was Claire’s assessment of Lind. She licked her lips with great interest, contemplating how to package Lena with this man and send them to the royal capital.
Meanwhile, Lind was also pondering the conspiracy behind Lena’s attack on the fourth prince and the female protagonist, as well as how to keep Lena in the Northern Border; at least it would be necessary to wait until the Graywhite Territory had developed fully before leaving.
Unexpectedly, it was Lena, completely unaware of what the two were thinking, who spoke up first, “After I go back, can I ask my brother to become the prime minister?”
Lind almost spat out his tea, while Claire asked in astonishment, “Brother? Which brother? Is it that Sean from the River Valley, or the younger one?”
“No, no, no, it’s this one; Lind is my brother too.”
After saying this, Lena boldly threw her arm around Lind’s shoulder.
Claire barely managed to control her facial expression, but still awkwardly said, “You all… really enjoy such interesting preferences.”
At this time, Lind even stood on Claire’s side and asked in return, “Your Highness, is she always like this?”
Claire facepalmed and looked at the silly-smiling Lena, asking, “Why? Baron Lind Roer isn’t even a member of the Lars family. When you return to the royal capital, you’ll also be breaking off the engagement; what’s the benefit for you in this?”
“Because the prime minister is the highest official, Your Highness, look at how my brother has governed the Graywhite Territory so well. If he becomes the prime minister, wouldn’t he be able to make the entire kingdom like this?”
Lena’s tone was filled with excitement and enthusiasm, as if she really was considering this matter.
“You really like it here, don’t you, Lady Lars?”
Claire sighed. From the tone of Lena, Claire had already understood that Lena truly loved this place and even wanted the whole country to be like it.
Thinking of this, Claire finally gave up.
“That’s quite impossible, Lady Lars. You know that Prime Minister Caudic is currently very esteemed, and your father king would not allow a viscount with no qualifications to become the prime minister.”
“So it really can’t be done?”
Lena scratched her head but still wore a brilliant smile, as if she was still immersed in her beautiful fantasy.
But Claire had already realized that Lena had actually rejected her and didn’t want to understand the truth of what had happened back then; she just wanted to stay in this place.
After that, the banquet ended in a lukewarm atmosphere, and Claire didn’t mention the matter of bringing Lena back to the royal capital again, but Claire wasn’t in a hurry either, after all, from the intelligence gathered, the Northern Border wasn’t too far from complete division and destruction.
With no success in persuading Lena, Claire also lost interest in staying in the Graywhite Territory and planned to set sail to leave the next day.
“Caroline, what are you wearing?”
Seeing Caroline dressed up as a maid, Claire was left speechless, “Didn’t I ask you to document the tragic conditions of this territory? Why have you changed your clothes?”
“First of all, Your Highness, please call me Comrade Caroline. I have now successfully passed the assessment and am an honorable secretary of the Graywhite Territory.”
“Then what does this maid outfit mean? Is this some perverse preference of that lord?”
“This represents serving the people, signifying that we are forever public servants to the people.”
After saying this, Caroline elegantly lifted her skirt.
In reality, there was no standardized uniform for secretaries, but most of the current secretaries in the territory were maids brought by Lena, and since Lila, as the administrative manager, continued wearing a maid’s outfit, the maid outfit remained preserved without any particular meaning.
Claire was taken aback for a moment, then immediately thought of something and said mysteriously, “I see, you’re planning to infiltrate the enemies’ camp, right?”
But Caroline quickly denied, “I am for the people, no longer for you nobles!”
Claire couldn’t help but marvel at how into character Caroline was, then she patted Caroline on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry; I will explain to your family. You just focus on ‘working’ in this Graywhite Territory.”
“Thank you so much, Your Highness. I will observe what the real Northern Border is like here.”
“That’s good; once you’ve seen what it’s really like, remember to write to me.”
Though the two were not on the same frequency, Claire nodded in satisfaction, encouraged Caroline a bit, and then returned to the ship to prepare to leave.
Although she did not see Lena kneeling and begging for mercy, nor did she trick Lena back to the royal capital, Claire considered it a success to have left a spy beside Lena, so it wasn’t a complete loss.
As for the Northern Border observations requested by Caudic, whatever, she would just jot down a few notes. After all, the people in the royal capital would believe anything, as long as it ultimately aligned with the royal interests.
On the ship, looking at Lind and the others who were seeing them off, Claire imitated her brother Klan, snorting coldly, “Heh, an interesting man.”
